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Richard Rider (Earth-616)
NOVA Category:New Warriors members Real Name: Richard Rider Nicknames: Bucket-Head Former Alias: Kid Nova Occupation: Superhero, also works parttime at Marvel Burger Legal Status: American Citizen Identity: Secret Marital Status: Single Group Affiliation: New Warriors, Champion of Xandar Base of Operations: Mobile & Xandar, also formerly New Warriors headquarters Strength Level: Strength level unknown Known Powers: Can fly faster than speed of sound, Enhanced Strength, "Nova Bursts" The Costume: Nova's costume is psychically linked to RIch Rider's mind. This means that he can reconfigure its appearance, as well as change properties of it as need be (for example, he can create a shield which protects his face in outer space). His costume also contains an internal computer and a police scanner. Transportation: Nova, in his responsibilty of "Guardian of the Terran Sector" for the Xandar Space Corps, contols a satellite orbiting the planet. Place of Birth: Queens, NY Known Relatives: Father, Mother, Brother Robbie First Appearance: NOVA Vol. 1 #1 Origin: A dying member of the Xandar Space Corps directed his energy to Rich Rider, a teenager living in Queens, NY. History (early history: ROM, Xandar, Diamondhead, Sphinx, etc.) The New Warriors: After returning home from Xandar, Rich led a listless life. Depressed by the loss of his powers, and unwilling to go back to a high school that all his friends had graduated, he worked odd jobs until the day he was kidnapped by Night Thrasher. Dwayne Taylor was attempting to build his own super-hero team, and had read Richard Rider's analysis that Rich's powers might be reactivated if he suffered a great enough adrenaline rush. In order to accmplish his "experiment," he kidnapped Rich and dropped him from the top of a building. His powers were then reactivated, and after his initial anger at Dwayne, he eventually agreed to join his team. Nova would prove a valuable asset to the Warriors. The most experienced of all the heroes, he would take the very inexperienced hero, Speedball, and help develop him as a member of the team. He was also invaluable in the team's fight against the two Sphinxes, villains out of Rich's past. Nova Corps: At the height of the New Warriors' popularity, Nova was spun off into his own book, which focused on the difficulty he had in maintaining his duties as both a member of the Nova Corps and the New Warriors. During this series, he would meet an alternate reality Nova, "Nova O:O," who helped Rich develop his powers. He also saved the Earth from destruction by preventing the "Deathstorm" bomb from going off. Eventually, another Nova, Garthan Saal, would take over Rich's duties, and for awhile he was without any powers. Namorita: From the first time they met, in New Warriors #1, it was clear that Rich and Nita Prentiss (Namorita) had a certain rapport. This would bloom into a romantic relationship, although a somewhat strained one at that. When Nita underwent a change, turning into the blue-skinned Kymaera, Rich was there for her, not caring about her change in appearance. Later, Rich began a separate relatinship (in his civilian identity) with a girl named Laura Dunham, although they would drift apart when she found out about his super-heroing. Nova and Nita continued their relationship, but it fell apart in the pages of Nova's third series. Nita, undergoing another change in appearance/powers, needed Rich's support, but he turned away from her because of his own personal problems. Rich later became jealous of Nita's relationship with Johnny Storm (the Human Torch), and almost began his own relationship with Mickey Musashi (Turbo). Marvel Next: The Marvel Next line of comics debuted in the late 1990's, featuring future versions of today's heroes. Nova is one of the respected adult heroes within the universe, and shows up from time to time to help out the new, young line of heroes. He has worked with Spider-Girl, A-Next, and more recently appeared in the Last Hero Standing mini-series. Allies: Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Rom, Garthan Saal Friends: Robbie (Speedball) Baldwin, Namorita Prentiss, Darkhawk Enemies: Diamondhead, Condor, Sphinx, Sphinx II ---- Trivia: * His costume's internal computer includes a music library. * Nova shares the nickname "Buckethead" with fellow Warrior Darkhawk ---- Bibliography: * NOVA Volume 1 * NEW WARRIORS Volume 1 * NOVA Volume 2 * NEW WARRIORS Volume 2 * NOVA Volume 3 * NEW WARRIORS Volume 3 ---- Related Articles: * Namorita * New Warriors ---- External Links: The Nova-Prime Page ---- Return to Character Selection ---- Category: New Warriors members Category: MC2